Genetic Resources in the USDA, ARS, PGRCU Legume Crop

Germplasm Collections with Phyto-pharmaceutical Uses

J.B. Morris1 and M.L. Wang1

1Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit, USDA, ARS, Griffin, GA 30223, USA

J.B. Morris, Tel: 770-229-3253. E-mail: Brad.Morris@ars.usda.gov.

ABSTRACT

Seventeen health functional legumes including butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea

L.), Indigofera cassioides Rottler ex DC., I. linnaei Ali, I. suffruticosa Mill.,

hyacinth bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet], velvetbean [Mucuna pruriens (L.)

DC], jicama [Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb.], winged bean [Psophocarpus

tetragonolobus (L.) DC.], Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. Wight, Teramnus

labialis (L.f.) Spreng, moth bean [Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal V.

angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H. Ohashi, V. mungo (L.) Hepper, celera bean [V.

radiata (L.) R. Wilczek, cowpea [V. unguiculata (L.) Walp and V. unguiculata

(L.) Walp g. unguiculata ], and wild cowpea [V. vexillata (L.) A. Rich. have

several phytochemicals and extracts which have been reported to have

potential for use as medicinal food, nutraceutical, or functional vegetables in

the United States and other countries worldwide. The objective of this study

was to present a review of several legume species in the USDA, ARS, Plant

Genetic Resources Conservation Unit’s (PGRCU) collection for potential use

as non-traditional human medicinal plants. Specific phytochemicals or other

trait attributes will be identified and discussed from these legumes. Potential

phyto-pharmaceuticals including flavonoids, glycosides, phenolics, cliotides,

steroids, and saponin, from butterfly pea flowers, seed coats, and roots;

saponin, steroids, anthro-quinones, terpinoids, flavonoids, and phlabotanin

from I. cassioides leaves; dequelin, dehydrodeguelin, rotenol, rotenone,

tephrosin, and sumatrol from hyacinth bean seeds and roots; L-dopa from

velvetbean and S. bispinosa seeds; pachyerosin from jicama seeds; vitexin

from T. labialis aerial parts and flavonol glycoside from stems; caffeic, ferulic,

cinnamic acids and kaempferol from moth bean sprouts; 7S globulins from

celera bean seeds; defensin, unguilin, trypsin/chymotrypsin inhibitor, 7S

globulins from cowpea seeds, and plant extracts with uses ranging from

antifungal, antibacterial, antiasthmatic, anti-tuberculosis, anti-malaria,

parkinson’s disease management, anti-cancer, antioxidant, oxidative stress

reduction, cholesterol reduction, anti-Leishmania amazonensi, anti-breast

cancer, anti-inflammatory, skin disease inhibition, reducing blood pressure,

immunostimulation, and myocardial ischemia protection. These species could

provide the medicinal, nutraceutical, and functional food industries with

valuable health products and can be used by other scientist’s and breeders for

the development of unique germplasm and/or advanced cultivars with one or

more of these traits. Furthermore, plant species in the PGRCU collection need

to be evaluated for the identification, quantification, and variability of potentially

and very valuable health traits which are currently unknown.

DISCUSSIONTable 1. Medicinal activities from legume crop species.

Species Organ Phytochemical Medicinal Reference(s)

activity

(Animal

model, assay)

Clitoria Blue Phenolics Anti- Nair et al. (2015)

ternatea flowers inflammatory

(Cell culture)

Roots, Cliotides Anti- Nguyen et al.

seed coats bacterial (2016)

(Radial diffusion)

Roots Saponin, steroids, Anti-asthma Taur & Patil (2011)

flavonoids, (Mice, rats)

glycosides

Indigofera Leaves Saponin, steroids, Anti- Kumar et al. (2014)

cassioides anthro-quinones, tuberculosis

terpinoids, flavonoids, (Agar)

phlabotanin

I. linnaei Plant Extract Cancer (Mice) Kumar et al. (2011)

I. suffruticosa Leaf Extract Anti-staph Bezerra Dos Santos

(Disc diffusion) et al. (2015)

Lablab Roots Deguelin, dehydro- Effective Kamal & Mathur

purpureus (maximum) deguelin, rotenol, against malaria, (2010)

Seeds rotenone, tephrosin, dracunculiasis,

(minimum) sumatrol amoebiasis causal

agents (immersion)

Mucuna Seeds L-dopa Parkinson’s Katzenschlager

pruriens management et al. (2004)

(clinical trial)

Species Organ Phytochemical Medicinal Reference(s)

activity

Pachyrhizus Seeds Pachyerosin Anti-cancer Guo et al. (2014)

erosus (MTT)

Psophocarpus Root, Extract Anti- Sasidharan et al.

tetragonolobus stem, leaf, pod microbial (2008)

(Disk diffusion)

Sesbania Seeds L-dopa Anti- Gautam et al.

bispinosa Parkinson’s (2012)

Teramnus Aerial Vitexin Anti-oxidant Sridhar et al.

labialis (Rats) (2006)

Stems Flavonol Anti-bacterial, Yadava & Jain

glycoside fungal (2004)

(Chloroform extract)

Vigna Sprouts Caffeic, ferulic, Oxidative Kestwal et al.

aconitifolia cinnamic acids, stress (2012)

kaempferol reduction

(HepG2 cells)

V. angularis Seeds Extracts Inhibit Nakaya et al.

leukemia cells (2012)

Lower blood Mukai & Sato

pressure (Rats) (2009)

Reduce Hori et al.

staph. (Medium) (2006)

V. mungo Seeds Extract Reduce Patel et al.

inflammation (Rats) (2015)

V. radiata Seeds 7S globulins Reduce Ferreira et al.

cholesterol (Rats) (2015)

V. unguiculata Seeds Defensin Anti-leish Souza et al.

mania (Cell) (2013)

Unguilin Anti-fungal Ye & Ng

(Assay) (2001)

Trypsin/chymo- Anti-breast Joanitti et al.

trypsin inhibitor cancer (Assay) (2010)

7S globulins Reduce Ferreira et al.

cholesterol (Rats) (2015)

V. unguiculata Seeds Extract Anti-breast Nguyen &

g. unguiculata cancer (Cell) Ho-Huynh

(2016)

V. vexillata Seeds Extract Anti- Leu et al.

inflammatory (2012)

(Bioassay

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Clitoria ternatea Lablab purpureus

Mucuna pruriens

Pachyrhizus erosus Sesbania bispinosa

Teramnus labialis Vigna radiata

V. unguiculata ssp. unguiculata

Psophocarpus tetragonolobus